


Color Blind

by vmads13



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Boys Kissing, Colors, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Smut, Strange Behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3809032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vmads13/pseuds/vmads13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey's condition baffled everyone. Doctors have been running tests throughout Mickey's whole life to try to figure out what caused this to happen to him. If doctors could just find a cure, they could help Mickey see normally. What if they had it all wrong? Maybe Mickey didn't need a treatment to cure him. Maybe he just needed someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Indirect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How was he supposed to know anything was different if that's the only normal he's ever known? This bothered him. Everyone expected him to know, but it wasn't as simple as the others were making it seem. You will never be able to see the world from anyone else's eyes. Who's to say we're not all seeing the world differently? Why was he the only one being accused of being different?

Kicking his legs back and forth impatiently, Mickey waited. The doctor barged into the room and shut the door behind him. Mickey's eyes followed the doctor as he scurried across the room and took a seat at his little rolling chair. Mickey studied the thick circular glasses that rested on the bridge of his large nose. He began to rustle through some papers, appearing oblivious to the squirming and impatient people in the room. Finally, Mandy spoke up, “Any new news?”

He craned his neck sideways to look Mandy in the eyes. “Same results,” he started. “We’re doing every test available, just like always.”

A look of disappointment slid onto her face and she placed a comforting hand on Mickey's shoulder. Her hand felt ice cold against his bare shoulder and he jerked back. Although Mandy was clearly dismayed at the news, Mickey stayed emotionless. He knew what the doctor would say, they say the same thing every time. He thought Mandy was too hopeful. He never really cared about the doctors. He just went to make Mandy happy. 

Mickey spent most of his childhood at the doctors. He used to always walk with his hands out in front of him as a kid. He'd even bump into walls sometimes. Mickey’s mom thought that he was blind. She brought him into the optometrist and it was discovered that Mickey was colorblind. Not the typical color blind though, Mickey could not actually see any colors; he can only see in black and white. It was like everything was just different tones of grey. This made his eyes very sensitive. When it was too bright, everything was washed out and all he could see was white nothingness. His depth perception and ability to see details were altered as well.

Honestly, Mickey missed having his mom around. She was the only one that really cared about him enough to notice something was wrong. Was something wrong with him? No one looked at him like he was different and he could basically do regular tasks just like anyone else. He felt normal, but everyone was always telling him otherwise. 

Ever since their mother died, Mandy has taken over her responsibilities, this included making Mickey go to the doctor. The results were always the same, however their mother would have continued to make Mickey go, so Mandy did the same. As much as Mickey pretended he hated it, he kind of liked the feeling of someone giving a shit about him. When his mom died, he took it the hardest. Even though he didn't show it, he was completely crushed. The one person that showed any interest in whether he was alive or not was suddenly ripped right out of his life. He was secretly delighted that Mandy had filled her place. Mandy had this motherly aura that oozed off of her. She had the same contagious smile and heartwarming laugh that their mother had. It was extremely comforting, whether Mickey wanted to admit it or not. It made the loss more manageable.

The two siblings walked out of the building. They were greeted with a burst of light. Mickey's vision went instantly white. Mickey's eyes shut tight and a wince slipped from his lips. He had forgotten, until now, that all the eyedrops they had put in his eyes made them extremely sensitive. He was slightly disappointed in himself that he didn’t remember this, having been to the doctor countless times. He reached in his pocket, unfolded the flimsy plastic glasses they gave him, and fit them around his head. They hopped into the car and began to head home.

"They'll figure it out eventually," Mandy whispered.

Mickey nodded in response. By the look on Mandy's face he could tell that she didn't really believe much of what she had just said. The wrinkle in her forehead and the half smile she made, he could recall Mandy making this face before. Thinking back to when his mom was sick, he remembered seeing this face on Mandy. No matter how scared or unsure she was, she would always put up a brave front. Mickey secretly admired that about her. He decided then, that he would continue to come back to the doctors. He figured as long as he came back, someone would give a shit about him. Sucking up the attention through a straw, eager to get every last drop. 

When they arrived home Mickey went straight to his room. His head was pounding, he guessed probably from his blurry vision due to the eye drops so he decided to sleep it off.

***

Mickey woke up to his sister screaming, “Stop, I’m gonna kill you!” 

In response, Mickey jumped to his feet and ran down the hallway. Slipping from his speed as he turned into the room, he quickly scanned the area. Expecting to walk into a horrific scene Mickey rubbed his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real. He took a few minutes to digest what was in front of his eyes. There was Mandy, playing videogames with some guy in their living room. 

The boy sitting with Mandy was yelling too. He was pretty tall, even while sitting down. His long hair was messy and covered one of his eyes. This guy had a jawline that was sharp and defined. Mickey noticed that in concentration, the boy's tongue slid out of his mouth. Mickey's gaze was locked on the boy's tongue until Mandy yelled again about killing. He snapped back to reality, remembering his true reason for being in there.

“What the fuck, Mandy?!” he began. “You fucking woke me up and I thought you were dying or some shit!”

“I am dying, Mick. I suck at this game," she stated flatly.

The boy sitting beside her giggled when she said this. 

“The fuck are you laughing at?” Mickey questioned.

“Calm down, shithead. It's just Ian Gallagher. Go back to bed," Mandy said as she was fidgeting around the couch trying with all her might to stay alive. She sighed when Ian had in fact claimed the victory. Mickey turned out of the room and rolled his eyes. He walked over to the fridge, grabbed the first carton he could find and pressed it to his lips. His taste buds danced as he tilted his head back. The leftovers of someone's lunch was sitting on the counter and Mickey started munching away. 

Ian walked into the kitchen and searched for his jacket. Mickey watched as he bent down to pick up his jacket off the floor. Quickly, he turned away, not wanting to be caught staring. 

"Hey, you want a smoke?" Ian asked, gesturing at the box of Marlboros.

Mickey was hesitant. He studied the boy's face for a moment and then nodded in acceptance. Ian held out a cigarette and Mickey reached for it. The moment he made contact with the cigarette he felt a tingle in his hand that shot up his arm and his heart began to race. A burst of something bounced around inside his body, but he had no idea what it was. He had never felt anything like it. As Ian let go of the cigarette the feelings started to lessen and his heartbeat slowing down.

Mickey sat there for a moment staring at the cigarette in his hand. What the fuck was that? he thought. Confused, he lit the smoke and took a long drag. He puffed the smoke out of his lungs. It felt as if pushing the smoke from his body also pushed out the thoughts in his head. With a clear head, he finished his smoke and stubbed it out. 

He walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, kicking his feet up. Flipping through the channels, he could hear banging and clunking coming from the kitchen. He stretched his neck and peaked over the couch. In the kitchen, Ian and Mandy were struggling to find bowls for dinner.

"You want some, Mick?" Mandy yelled from the other room. 

"Yeah, sure," he replied.

Mickey was trying to watch some TV, but there was nothing on. He was never usually home at this time, except when he had appointments. Normally, he was on jobs with his brothers and Terry. Terry didn't really want Mickey coming most of the time. He thought the eye problem would interfere and potentially ruin the job. Mickey always insisted, wanting to be treated like his brothers instead of a liability. When Terry finally caved and let him come, he wasn't treated the same. Mickey was given a small job so even if he messed up, the whole job wouldn't be in jeopardy. Mickey knew this, but he enjoyed being out of the house so he didn't mind. 

Finally, Mickey settled on watching a baseball game. Hearing his sister and Ian talk and laugh in the background as they heated up dinner was annoying as hell. Their voices were ringing in his head. The doctor said Mickey's hearing, along with other senses, might be exceptionally stronger to make up for the deficiency in his eyes. Although, he couldn't detect a deficiency in his eyes, he definitely felt his other senses excelled. As far as he was concerned his eyes were normal. How was he supposed to know anything was different if that's the only normal he's ever known? This bothered him. Everyone expected him to know, but it wasn't as simple as the others were making it seem. You will never be able to see the world from anyone else's eyes. Who's to say we're not all seeing the world differently. Why was he the only one being accused of being different? He began to ponder how other people would do in his position. His brothers, his dad, Mandy and even that tall fucking asshole that laughed at him earlier, then offered him a smoke like nothing was wrong. Drowning in his thoughts, he was finally pulled to shore when Mandy hollered about dinner being ready. 

Slugging over to the kitchen, he made himself a plate and sat down at the table. Chinese take out leftovers were his favorite. Ignoring the other people at the table, he devoured his meal, practically licking his plate clean. When he looked up he found himself staring into Ian's eyes. His gaze traveled up to Ian's hair. It appeared to have a soft and fluffy texture and he sort of wanted to touch it. Feeling displeased at himself for observing Ian too deeply, he looked down at his empty plate.

"Want to make yourself useful and pass me the noodles?" He said with annoyance. 

This made a smirk glide onto the boy's face. He picked up the take out container and held it out across the table. Mickey stretched his arm to grab it. 

When his fingers came in contact with the container he winced, a surge of adrenaline pumped through his veins. His body was going numb and he began to see stars or dots or something. He quickly ripped the container from Ian's grasp and shut his eyes tight. He sat there for a few minutes, closed eyes, fists clenched. Ian and Mandy exchanged a concerned glance. Finally Mandy spoke up. 

"What's wrong, Mick? Are you okay?" She said in a quiet voice, not wanting to startle him.

The feeling was burning out slowly like a candle. He could feel sets of eyes on him. Mickey opened his eyes, feeling grounded again. Rubbing his eyes and looking around he noticed that everything was back to normal. His normal, the way he liked it. 

Mickey stood up from the table as he spoke, "I think the drops are still uh...I'm gonna go lay down." 

He turned and was out of the room in a flash. Closing the door behind him, he collapsed onto his bed. Mickey was now alone with just himself and his thoughts. This kind of silence was deafening. 

He tossed and turned, just as the thoughts in his head did. After about twenty minutes he sat up realizing he would not be able to sleep anytime soon. The boy reached over towards his nightstand, grabbed a smoke and lit it. He tried to find a way to make what was happening to him feel reasonable, but it was harder than he thought. The feeling he got when he grabbed the cigarette and the take out container was indescribable. Comparing the two situations, he determined that the feeling was basically the same both times. What else was the same between the two? He contemplated long and hard before coming to a conclusion. It was Ian. Ian was the only constant between the two. He made a promise to himself. He needed to get to the bottom of this and discover the truth about Ian Gallagher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Here we go! Starting a multichapter AU! I hope everyone will stick with it as the plot continues and the characters develop. Hopefully you all enjoy it as much as I do! Please let me know if I should start tagging something and feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you to Catherine (bellafarella.tumblr.com) for all her help :)
> 
> I hope to post once a week so see you all next ~~Thursday!~~ Friday! (May 1st!)
> 
> Tumblr: camerunmonaghan.tumblr.com


	2. What The Fuck?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey new something was strange. Ian had to be fucking with him and he needed to get to the bottom of it.

About a week had passed but Mickey's thoughts rarely strayed from what had happened to him. Everytime he grabbed something out of someone's hand he braced himself to feel the rush of whatever it was he had felt before. He still wasn't sure what it was and there was no way of explaining it. Forming the words in his brain felt impossible. When he attempted to reasonably explain it, he realized how idiotic it sounded. No one would believe him so he needed a different approach.

He was in the bathroom taking a piss when he heard Mandy on the phone. She was giggling and gossiping. To Mickey's surprise she wasn't talking to a girl, it was Ian on the other line. He inferred this when he heard Mandy mention the video game they were playing in their living room last week. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he pressed his ear to the door. Only hearing Mandy's muffled half of the conversation made it tricky to completely understand, but he got the jist of it. Mandy then walked by the bathroom and Mickey could hear her response crystal clear.

"Yeah, sure Ian. Just come over tomorrow after school and I'll help you study," Mandy said into the phone. "Maybe we can play that game again and I can let you win like last time."

Mickey was proud of himself for a moment. All the information he needed had been laid out right in front of him. Ian would be coming over tomorrow after school and he could finally get to the bottom of what was happening. That tall asswipe would finally get caught for fucking with Mickey. The thought of that made Mickey feel relieved. He loved putting people in their place. In the midst of his excitement he completely forgot about the drug run he was supposed to be assisting with tomorrow night. Just my fucking luck, he thought to himself. He drew the conclusion that confronting Ian was more important. It's not like he would be trusted with much on the drug run anyways. He needed to think of a way out of it.

***

"You're really fucking sick? One of the biggest drug runs and you're fucking sick?!" Terry roared as he barged into Mickey's room. Mickey usually didn't do much when going on jobs with Terry and the boys but this job was different. It was one of the biggest jobs they've had in a while and Terry needed as many hands as he could get. 

"Sorry, I've been up all night. I don't want to fuck up the whole job," Mickey whispered. Mickey was a pretty tough guy but over the years he'd learned not to yell back at Terry. The hatred Mickey had for him sometimes was so extreme but he knew when to back down. Getting pummeled as a kid will really teach you to just shut the fuck up. 

Terry, clearly upset, stormed out of the room yelling all kinds of profanities as loud as he could. Once he heard the front door slam shut he felt a slight comfort. Everyone would be gone for at least a few hours. The anxiety he once had quickly converted into relaxation. He had about three hours until Mandy would arrive home, most likely with Ian. When Mandy came home he would tell her that Terry opted for him not to attend this job. If he explained that it was a really big job and Terry didn't want Mickey fucking it up, it would be believable. Step one of his plan had surprisingly gone smoother than expected and now he just needed the rest of his plan to follow suit.

He cycled through watching TV, trying to sleep, and eating for the next three hours. It went by excruciatingly slow because the anticipation kept him staring at the clock for the majority of the time. When he stumbled out of his bedroom, probably the fourth time he'd gone through his cycle, he was pleasantly surprised to see Ian sitting on the couch. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his can of beer and discretely placed it on the end table closest to Ian. He then walked around slowly, like he was eyeing his prey, ready to pounce at any moment. 

Sitting down on the couch next to Ian he said, "Where’s Mandy?"

"Bathroom," Ian said with his eyes locked on the TV in front of him. 

"Whatcha watchin?" Mickey asked, this time in a friendlier tone.

"Some documentary about the military." Mickey nodded as he glanced to the TV and appeared to be interested. He took a deep breath and began to execute his plan. 

"Hey man, pass me my beer?" he asked, gesturing toward the end table. 

Ian grabbed the can and swung his arm around so it was in Mickey's reach. Mickey slowly extended his arm and gripped the can. A surge of force exploded up his arm. He became lightheaded and soon after his vision went white. All the motor skills he had completely rushed out of his body, dropping the can from his hand.

"What the fuck?!" Ian exclaimed. Shaking his head in disbelief as he assessed the damage done. The can had spilled all over his pants leaving Ian in a puddle of beer. Mickey still wasn't able to see clearly but he was aware what had happened. 

Frantically rubbing his eyes to regain his sight back Mickey blurted out, "Why'd you fucking do that?!"

Ian was beyond confused. He was trying to wrap his brain around the situation but came up short every time. How was this his fault? 

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Was the only response Ian could get out. Before Mickey could even begin to explain anything, Mandy walked in the room, certainly she heard the two boys yelling at each other. She burst into the room, sporting a concerned look on her face. 

"What the fuck happened?" She said shooting Mickey a look of disapproval. Mickey finally regaining his sight again noticed the look on her face and realized he just needed to leave. Standing up and grabbing his jacket he headed for the door. Fresh air always cleared his head. The sky was becoming darker by the minute as dusk was setting over the town. The doctors had mentioned that Mickey should not be out alone after sunset because everything would seem really dark, but that never stopped him before. 

He walked down the street, kicking a rock as he went. Walking in no particular direction he ended up at the abandoned buildings down the block from his house. He walked up to the top and sat down, dangling his feet over the edge. 

What was happening to Mickey? This had never happened to him before. At least he made some progress, it was now confirmed that Ian did have something to do with what was happening to him. The only thing that through him off was that Ian had appeared just as confused as Mickey was at the whole situation. That maybe all of this was strictly coincidental. Mickey didn't believe much in anything spiritual or that signs actually meant anything, so he settled on this. 

After just sitting and staring up at the dark sky for a while he decided to head home. When he reached the ground he found the rock he had kicked on the way over and began to kick it while he traveled back home. 

Mickey twisted the knob, pushed in the door and stepped inside the house. Ian's eyes shot up when the door opened. After realizing it was Mickey his eyes rolled around in his head. Mickey ignored this and continued on his path to the kitchen. 

"Where's Mandy?" Mickey questioned, not making eye contact with Ian.

"Store, getting smokes," Ian replied flatly.

"I see you're all dry now," Mickey teased, trying to lighten the mood but Ian wasn't having it. 

Ian got up looking directly at Mickey and began to yell, "What the fuck was that earlier?"

"I'm not really sure, man. It doesn't matter," Mickey replied.

"No, what the fuck?" He began to raise his voice louder as he stepped closer and closer toward Mickey. "You keep acting so fucking weird around me," He was now shouting inches away from Mickey's face, "Then you dumped your beer on me?!" 

Mickey wasn't focusing on what Ian was saying, he couldn't help but stare at the vein that popped out of Ian's neck. The words flowing from Ian's mouth suddenly stopped. Mickey looked up to meet Ian's eyes, but they were looking down. He followed the boys gaze down to realize that he had grown in his pants. Filling up with embarrassment, he was frozen in place. Gaining slight composure, he tilted his head up and to his surprise Ian was smiling, still looking down. Out of nowhere, Ian reached down and began tugging up at Mickey's shirt and pulled it up over his head. Mickey’s brain became all scrambled when Ian slightly brushed up against his skin. He looked up at Ian and dots began to dance around Mickey’s vision, but he didn’t have time to think about it. The boys quickly headed towards Mickey's bedroom and stripped down as they walked. 

By the time they had made it to the bed, both boys were completely naked. Mickey fumbled around the room, desperate to find a condom and lube. He finally found the desired items and threw them on the bed. Within seconds he was on all fours waiting impatiently. 

Ian wasted no time. He came up behind Mickey shoving one lubed up finger in his ass, then another. Ian stretched his fingers inside Mickey and slid them in and out slowly to prep him. 

Mickey's vision had slipped from his grasp. Everything went instantly white. Ian pulled his fingers out and before Mickey could take another breath, Ian slid his dick inside him. The new pressure inside him caused him to bite his lip. Ian grabbed onto Mickey's hips and started pounding into him rough and quick, grunting with every thrust.   
This caught Mickey off guard and a subconscious sigh from the back of Mickey's throat slipped out. The sense of secrecy to what they were doing intensified the adrenaline rush both boys were getting. 

When Mickey opened his eyes he saw dots and stars in his vision. He began to blink rapidly but they wouldn't go away so his eyes remained shut. Ian continued thrusting into Mickey hard as if he was teaching him a lesson for spilling that beer on him earlier. 

Mickey's hands slid into fists, trying to keep himself grounded but he was unsuccessful. A few more thrusts sent both boys over the edge, coming practically simultaneously. Ian pulled out which allowed Mickey to slowly attain his sight again. Their chests were rising and falling briskly so they flopped down on the bed next to each other to regain composure. 

The faint sound of a slam could be heard but Mickey wasn't thinking straight. He honestly wasn't thinking at all, his brain was total mush. The footsteps around the house and calling out for Ian became louder and clearer, it suddenly registered in his brain. In a frantic rush he shook Ian and pointed towards the door, signaling for him to get the fuck out before Mandy caught them. The boy shuffled around, grabbing the random articles of clothing scattered on the floor and darted out of the room. 

Mickey could hear him open and shut the bathroom door across the hall and assumed he had made it in safe. Relief consumed Mickey as he let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding until now. 

A million things were running through Mickey’s head now. He hated being left alone with his thoughts. They ate away at him like little relentless parasites. Why did his vision go all haywire? He figured it was just the intensity of his orgasm. 

There was a little voice in the back of his head that wouldn't shut up. It kept reminding him that the plenty of other times he had sex, his vision was never left in such a mess. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the whiskey bottle. The longer the debate in his head went on the more confused he got. What could all of this possibly mean? Not wanting to deal with the little voice in his head, he took a swig from the whiskey bottle. He could deal with that little voice later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am. I have some plans for future chapters and I'm excited about where this is headed. Please let me know if I should start tagging something and feel free to leave a comment and lt me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you to Catherine (bellafarella.tumblr.com) for all of her help once again :)
> 
> See you all next Friday!
> 
> My tumblr: camerunmonaghan.tumblr.com


	3. Mandy's Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mandy has gone on a camping trip for the weekend. Mickey was planning to spend the weekend alone, but when a certain someone offers to keep him company he doesn't mind.

Fucking Ian regularly wasn't Mickey's intention, but he wasn't complaining either. When Ian would come over after school to hang out with Mandy, Mickey would always be there, coincidentally of course. He began to stop doing runs with his dad and hang around the house, waiting for Ian. When Mandy would return home from school he would run to the door like a puppy greeting his owner, hoping that Ian would be with her. He was rarely disappointed.

When Ian would come over the two boys were always searching for ways to slip away from Mandy together. Surprisingly, they had been quite lucky with this. Even when Mickey began to hang around with her and Ian, she didn’t seem to have too much suspicion. Mickey was silently grateful for this. They continued to do their quick fucks, which gave them both a rush. 

Today was one of those days. The clock said 3:05 pm so Mandy would be coming home soon, hopefully with Ian. He paced around in his room taking long drags from his cigarettes. Noticing his own anxiousness, he sat on the corner of his bed and tried to calm himself, but he was never good at this. Normally, he would just beat the shit out of someone when he was feeling anxious. Always pushing those feelings down when they tried to surface seemed like the only option to him. He never wanted anyone to know when he was feeling like this so he kept it to himself. Not knowing whether Ian would be coming each day made the minutes drag on for what seemed like an eternity. 

Finally, he heard the front door creak open. At times like this he was thankful for his overly sensitive hearing. Quickly standing up, he dashed out his bedroom and down the hall. A look of disappointment slid onto his face when he only saw Mandy. She dropped her backpack and instantly walked to the fridge. 

“Do we have any food in this house?” She asked opening cabinet after cabinet. 

“Not really, take out tonight?” Mickey offered. 

Mandy nodded in agreement. They had Chinese most nights, but neither of them ever got sick of it. 

“Is Ian coming over? You know...uh, should we get food for him too?” Mickey asked cautiously.

“He said he had to have dinner with his family tonight.” The hope in Mickey washing away rapidly, “But he said he’d stop over after.” Mickey’s eyes shot up to look at Mandy, using all of his power to express his happiness. “Oh, and this weekend I’m going on some school camping trip. My stupid teacher thinks that having us closer to nature will have us understand photosynthesis better or something.” The words went right over Mickey’s head. 

Mickey grabbed for his cell phone and ordered their dinner. After about an hour the delivery man finally came. Mickey answered the door and paid for the meal with the exact amount of money. The man stood at the door just looking at Mickey. 

“What? You want a tip? Here’s a tip, how about next time you bring my food to me before it gets cold!” 

The man stood there wide eyed for a moment and then turned and ran away.

“Holy fuck,” Mickey mumbled. 

Mandy walked into the room raising her eyebrows, but had a clear idea of what had happened. Mickey emptied the bag and made himself a plate. 

They both chowed their food in silence. When they finished they cleared the table and headed for the couch to play Mario Kart. It was a pretty dumb game, but they kept it a secret between them. 

“I think my controller is broken,” Mickey whined. He always tried to come up with other excuses because he hated to admit his sight had anything to do with it.

“Oh please, Mick. Just because you’re losing doesn’t mean-”

The door opened interrupting the siblings. “What are you playing? I can hear you guys halfway down the street,” Ian said as he walked in unannounced. 

“Yeah, Mick is crying like a bitch because I’m killing him,” Mandy teased. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Mickey shot back with a small shove to her shoulder.

Ian made his way across the room and planted himself on the couch right between the siblings. Mickey’s heart began to beat hastily. He noticed this and instantly was displeased with himself. He hated when someone had this kind of power over him. Had anyone else had this kind of power over Mickey? Before he could think about it he was snapped back to reality with a devilish laugh coming from Mandy’s lips. 

Since Ian had walked in he had forgotten he was playing. His eyes squinted in concentration as he tried to make a big come back. 

“Shit, I have to pee! Ian take over,” Mandy said passing him the remote, “Don’t screw it up!”

Mickey bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. The boys finished out the round squirming around while they drove their cars around the track. When the race finished Ian turned to Mickey.

"You know Mandy's going on a camping trip this weekend?" Ian whispered.

Mickey faintly remembered Mandy mentioning it, but he knew he hadn't been paying attention. "Yeah… Why?" He asked raising his eyebrows. 

"Well since she won't be here I was thinking-"

"Ian, you better have won that race for me," Mandy interrupted

Mickey sat there confused. All the possibilities began to flow through his head like an endless river. What was Ian going to say to him?

***

Mickey woke up the next morning to the sound of his phone buzzing on the bedside table. A groan slipped from his lips as his body slowly began waking up before his eyes could. He then reached over and grabbed his phone. The sudden flash of light that came from the screen made his vision go white. His eyes shut tight and he sat up regaining his composure. A message notification popped up on his screen and he clicked it.

Ian: Hey, it's Ian. I got your number from Mandy's phone. Uh, anyways, since Mandy won't be here this weekend, maybe I could come over after work?

Mickey's fingers began to type before question even registered in his brain. Without thinking his thumb hit the send button. After a few seconds he looked down and read his own response.

Mickey: Only if you bring dinner.

Fuck, he thought to himself. What did he just do? Was he just flirting with Ian? Of course not, he just needed dinner for tonight. Immediately he regretted sending that text. What the fuck was he thinking? He had hung out with Ian before, but that was with Mandy. There was less pressure because there were no expectations. They would sneak away to fuck, but they never had any time to have any other interactions alone. The thought of being alone with Ian made Mickey’s heart beat quicken. His palms had become sweaty so he threw the phone on the bed next to him and closed his eyes. 

Wanting Ian to come over wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he wasn’t sure how to act around Ian. Mickey didn't know what to do. His nerves took over so he pulled out a smoke and grabbed his headphones. Shoving the buds in his ears, he picked a song and turned it up as loud as it would go in an attempt to drown out his thoughts. Mickey's hands automatically went into air guitar mode as he got lost in the song. 

The boy made his way over to the historic computer in the corner of his room. He had found it in the trash somewhere down the street, so he snagged it and fixed it up. It still wasn't very fast, but it was better than nothing. Google popped up on the screen so he clicked the search bar and started typing random questions to kill time. He then was searching the web for a new gun followed by some dinner recipes because food and guns were his two favorite things. 

While reading the recipes he became slightly discouraged. The recipes kept referring to color. 'Use red peppers' and 'the bananas will be ripe when they are yellow'. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what red and yellow looked like, but all he could come up with was different shades of grey. His fingers began to run across the keyboard. He re-read the words in his head a few times before he hit the search button. 'What does the color red look like?'

He clicked the first one and began reading a list: deep, hot, loving, anger. What was all that supposed to mean? He furrowed his eyebrows at the screen as he searched the same thing for yellow. The list read 'timid, warm, cheerful.' Mickey let out a deep sigh. Yellow and red sounded so similar by this definition, yet he had been told they were totally different colors. He let out a huff of frustration as he checked the rest of the links with no luck. 

Now full of defeat, he went to the kitchen to make some food. If he could make himself a meal, watch TV and do daily tasks independently, how could there be anything wrong with him? 

Usually when he woke up Mandy's leftovers would be on the table for him, but this wasn't the case. It had dawned on him just then that she would be gone all weekend and he would have to scavenge for that time. Pancake mix was the only appealing thing he could find in the kitchen so he searched for a clean pan and began cooking. 

He dumped a whole bag of chocolate chips into the pancakes and poured about half the container of maple syrup on them because he really liked sweets. After finishing his food he walked over to the couch and plopped onto it. The waiting for Ian went by excruciatingly slow. In an attempt to distract his mind he began surfing the channels, but ultimately failed. He wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not, but he knew for sure that he was nervous. He hated this feeling. This feeling that he couldn't control. The feelings were then shoved deep into the back of his brain, not wanting to face them. It appeared that time was moving in slow motion. The tiny clock in the corner of the television screen seemed to be frozen. The extreme boredom he was experiencing really emphasized his exhaustion. His eyes slowly began to droop until and he couldn't keep them open anymore. 

A knock on the door brought Mickey back to awareness. Rubbing his eyes, he staggered over to the door. He pulled open the door and automatically, his still half unconscious brain, was snapped back to reality. In an attempt to determine whether this was real or not, his pupils began to dilate. When he fell asleep, it had totally slipped his mind that he was going to have company. Ian was standing a few feet away from him and he was at a loss for words. 

"Can I come in?" Ian asked as he held up a bag, "I brought food."

"Yeah sure," Mickey scoffed. 

Mickey walked back over to the couch taking a swig from the whiskey bottle next to him. Ian came to the couch and took a seat, not too close or too far. Mickey noted this and then focused his attention back on the screen. He held out the bottle offering the boy some liquor. Ian reached over grabbing the bottle and a surge of energy shot up Mickey's arm causing it to tingle. Mickey reminded himself to avoid passing Ian items because he hates that feeling he gets every time they touch. The two boys watched the discovery channel and ate the McDonalds Ian had brought over, just enjoying each other's company. 

Ian had started to eye Mickey about half an hour into the show. Mickey could see out of his peripheral vision. He smiled to himself, but decided to allow Ian to make the first move. Ian turned towards Mickey and in an instant his shirt was being tugged at. Mickey was willing, this was all familiar territory to him. As Ian was tugging up at Mickey's shirt, Mickey winced. Ian's long fingers continued to brush up against Mickey's tummy. His vision went white and then began to come back in bright spots. The feeling felt familiar, but Mickey still didn't like it. It came back every time he and Ian were fucking, but he tried not to think about it. Mickey pulled away, leaving Ian confused. 

"I just- I'm not feeling like it right now," Mickey said hesitant. 

"Are you okay?" Ian asked concerned. 

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Ian was wondering if he had done something to make Mickey act like this. The two boys stay in silence for a few moments, then Mickey began to speak in a soft voice, "Can I ask you something?" 

Ian looked to Mickey with a concerned look on his face, "Yeah, sure."

"Uh, well, what's it like to see color?"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean, what are colors like?"

"Are you blind or something?"

"You mean Mandy never told you about me?" Mickey asked confused.

"All she said was that I should never fuck with her or she'll send her brother after me."

A laugh slipped from Mickey's lips as he continued, "Nah, not that, man," he began to lick his lips, "Well I'm color blind and not the mixing up colors kind, I actually can't see any color."

Ian took a minute to digest the information that had entered into his head and then replied, "So, what do you see?"

"Just black, white and grays. My whole life."

Ian turned to Mickey in an effort to soak up how he was feeling. Drinking up anything that Mickey was willing to give off. Before he tried to respond to Mickey's words, he studied him. Their eyes were locked on each other, both trying to figure out what the other was thinking. 

Finally Ian condensed his jumbled thoughts into words, "You're eyes are really blue."

Mickey automatically looked down with a hint of embarrassment, "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah, it is,” Ian said with a small smile.

Avoiding eye contact with Ian he said, "Well what color are your eyes?"

"Green."

"What is green like?" Mickey closed his eyes, trying to get an image in his head. 

Ian's head went blank. It seemed impossible to describe a color. He didn't want to disappoint Mickey so he said the first thing that popped into his head, "I don't know… Uh, it's like nature, I guess. I've never really thought about it before."

Knowing his answer wasn't sufficient, he scratched his head, wishing he could give Mickey a better answer. Mickey was used to these kinds of answers. The only person who took the time to attempt to describe it in detail was Mandy and even she struggled with this. He opened his eyes and put on the brave face he was used to. The face that he used to act as if he didn't even slightly care about seeing color. 

"Man, it's cool. I mean, I've made it this far without color," Mickey began to reassure, "Hey, common, put your shoes on, I wanna show you something."

Ian did just as Mickey had said and within a few minutes they were walking down the block. 

"Where are we going?" Ian asked. 

Mickey just ignored the question and said, "Come on, this way."

The two boys turned the corner and continued down the street. Mickey stopped once they reached these old buildings and Ian followed suit. They climbed to the top and walked over to the corner. There was a little target on the wall, a gun on the ledge, and glass bottles all over. He grabbed one of the glass bottles that still contained some liquid, took a gulp and passed it to Ian. 

Mickey walked over and retrieved his gun. He stood back and began shooting at the empty glasses on the ledge. 

In between gunshots he began to speak, "This is where I usually come when I need to be alone and just think. Or just not think." He turned to Ian and held out the gun, "Wanna try? Just shoot at the target." Ian grabbed the gun and slugged over. 

"Should I shoot for the red dot in the middle?"

"If it's red, then sure," He said with a smile. 

"Mickey, we've never hung out alone."

"Yeah, I guess so," Mickey replied, trying to act as if he hadn't been thinking about it all day. 

"This mean we're on a date?" Ian teased.

"Fuck you is what we're on," Mickey answered as he shot Ian a grin. 

As Ian began to shoot, the phone in his pocket began to ring. The caller ID began blinking across the screen: Terry. 

"Fuck," He mumbled as he walked away from the loud cracks and pops. Ian noticed this and started eavesdropping. All he could hear was the loud defense from Mickey's end. When Mickey finished the conversation, Ian inquired what that was all about.

"Dad. He's the fucking worst," Mickey said flatly.

"Oh yeah, tell me about it."

"What do you know about shitty dads?"

"Do you know who my dad is? Frank. Frank Gallagher."

"No shit. Frank fucking Gallagher, huh?"

"Yeah, he's an alcoholic rat. He doesn't give a shit about any of us, steals our money and food, and uses me as his fucking punching bag."

"Sounds like your dad and my dad should be friends."

Ian laughed and began to unload another round at the target. 

Mickey just watched as this boy in front of him shot his gun. He'd never taken anyone here before and he brought Ian without even thinking about it. Maybe Ian wasn't fucking with Mickey, but there sure was something different about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't really about Mickey's sight, but I felt like it was necessary. I hope you like it!
> 
> Thank you to Catherine (bellafarella.tumblr.com) for all her help :)
> 
> See you next ~~Friday!~~ next Friday! May 22! (I've been so busy this week, I'm sorry!)
> 
> Tumblr: camerunmonaghan.tumblr.com


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